


Masquerade

by Phoenix_Sparrow



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Gen, Halloween
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-16 18:36:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 21,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12348321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoenix_Sparrow/pseuds/Phoenix_Sparrow
Summary: The Tracys have been invited to a Halloween party at Penelope's but Scott doesn't think it's such a good idea. A little idea I had while listening to Maroon 5's song Animals and with Halloween coming up, this happened. So have some supernatural!Tracys stuff.





	1. Party at Penny's

“We’ve been invited where?” Virgil asked incredulously.

“To a party at Lady P’s place,” Scott replied, looking at the invitation he held in his hand.

“Really?” Gordon asked, looking over his shoulder.

Scott frowned, shrugging a little to knock the younger man’s chin off him, which knocked him backwards. “Get off, Gordon. I’m not sure this is a good idea.”

“Why not?” Alan asked, looking up at them all. “I hardly ever get to leave the island anymore. It’d be nice to go.”

Scott sighed slightly. “You know why that is, Al,” he replied quietly. “And anyway, you go on rescues still.”

“And that’s all, and only because my uniform disguises me,” he said, sounding distinctly disgruntled.

“It’s for your own good, Alan, and you know it. Please stop trying to make me sound like the bad guy here. I’m just trying to keep you safe.”

“Wouldn’t need to be kept safe if it weren’t for you,” the youngest muttered under his breath.

Scott frowned at him, though looked hurt. “Would you rather we’d left you? The solution wasn’t ideal but at least you’re here.”

Gordon looked between them, slipping the invitation from Scott’s hand while he was distracted. “Guys, you do realise you’ve missed the single most important fact on this whole missive, right?”

“Missive? That’s a good word for you,” Virgil quipped, grinning.

“I may have picked up a word or two from Penny,” he replied with a grin.

“Alright, enlighten us,” Scott said, his gaze locked on Alan’s a moment longer before he turned back to the others. “Which is the most important fact?”

“It’s a fancy dress party. For Halloween. That means costumes.”

“Costumes?” Alan asked hopefully, perking up at the idea. “Scott, we might be able to go then. Costumes means we wouldn’t need to worry.”

Scott’s gaze drifted across each of his brothers, all looking at him for a decision. “I’m still not sure about this.”

“Scott, it’s in England, in October, in the evening,” Gordon reminded. “It’ll be after dark. And anyway, we’re all pretty good at blending in these days.”

“That’s not the point,” Scott countered, taking the invitation back off him and looking at it. “This is Lady P we’re talking about. She’s not known for her small events. She invites the entire county. That’ll be a lot of people to deal with.”

“You saying you won’t be able to control yourself?” Alan asked.

“I’m saying I’m not the only one who might not be able to,” he replied, glancing at Virgil.

The middle brother shrugged. “Don’t know what you’re worried about, Scott. You know full well your self-control isn’t the issue here, and nor is mine. Thanks for the vote of confidence. The issue is that you don’t want us to go to something we might actually be comfortable at because we’ll be able to relax and be ourselves.”

“And if we get a call?”

Gordon rolled his eyes. “Dude, it’s Lady Penelope’s house. It’s not like she’s not aware of that particular aspect of our lives. Heck, I think she’d let us park the Thunderbirds somewhere on her land. It’s so big we could leave them right out in the open and her guests still wouldn’t be able to see them from the manor.”

“You do sound like you’re looking for excuses now,” Alan pointed out.

“You guys really want to go, huh?” he asked defeatedly.

“Let me think, uh, yes!” Gordon said, grinning at Alan.

With a resigned sigh, Scott shook his head. “Fine. We go. But what about John?”

“What about him?” Alan asked. “Can’t he come too?”

“To a function with that many people? D’you really think he’d want to?”

“He might feel left out if we don’t ask him, but if he doesn’t want to go, that’s his choice,” Virgil offered. “But we can ask him. If he does want to join us, he can redirect calls to his personal receiver.”

“Alright,” Scott replied quietly. “I’ll call him then. I suggest you think about what you’re going to wear.”

Virgil raised an eyebrow. “Really?” he asked, his tone verging on sarcastic.

“You know what I mean,” Scott said before sweeping out of the room.

 

Having left his brothers eagerly discussing the party, Scott now sat in his office, located below ground in the hangars. He liked it down here. Dark, cool, peaceful.

“Scott?”

Until a brother came looking for him at least.

“In my office,” he called out, putting on his desk lamp.

The door opened and Alan walked in. “I thought you might be down here,” he said softly, his hands tucked behind his back as he rocked on his heels. “I just wanted to let you know that Gordon called Lady Penelope to tell her we’re gonna go.”

“I had a feeling he might,” Scott replied.

Alan nodded. “Yeah,” he said, biting his lip and looking around. “Um, I, um…” He cleared his throat, his hand reaching up to rub at his neck. “I wanted to apologise, Scott,” he muttered, unable to make eye contact.

Scott stood up and went over to him, crouching in front of him. “Stop rubbing, Kiddo,” he said gently, taking hold of his hand to pull it away. “You may do damage.” With a soft shake of his head, he rested his forehead against Alan’s. “You don’t need to apologise, Alan. I suppose you’re right in a way. But I’m not trying to stop you from, uh, well, living your life, I suppose. I just want to keep you safe, you know that.”

“I do know that,” he replied, closing his eyes. Scott’s forehead was cool against his own. “And I am grateful that you guys helped me.”

“You’re our little brother, of course we were going to help you,” Scott said. “When I learned of the accident I was so scared.”

Alan opened his eyes and looked up at Scott. “I know, Scott, but you did it. You and John. I’m still here.”

“But at what cost, Alan?” he asked, his tone almost a whisper. “To some extent you’re now like me and that’s not something I’d have wished for you.”

Alan shrugged. “None of us is exactly normal, Scott,” he reminded.

Scott chuckled a little. “I suppose you’re right,” he said, standing up. “Go on, you guys need to have something to eat and I need to call John.”

“Alright, Scott,” Alan said, smiling brightly at him and heading back upstairs to the main villa.

The elder man watched him go then shook his head again, turning back to his desk and activating a call to John.

“ _Good evening, Scott, to what do I owe the pleasure?_ ” John asked, smiling at him from his hologram.

“You’re in a good mood,” Scott noted.

“ _I’m in space and the view is beautiful,_ ” John replied, shrugging. “ _Do I need any other reason?_ ”

“I suppose not,” Scott answered.

“ _Did you call for a reason? Or just for a catch up?_ ”

“We’ve been invited to a costume party at Lady Penelope’s.”

“ _Ah, I see,_ ” John said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “ _And I assume the guys want to go?_ ”

“Mmm hmm. Apparently it’s a Halloween party so they think we’ll be safe there.”

“ _Of course they do,_ ” John muttered, rolling his eyes. “ _What do you think?_ ”

“I was sceptical at first. Really against it. But they all really want to go. And it’s Lady P, she knows us.”

“ _She doesn’t know everything, though,_ ” John pointed out.

“Yes, I know,” Scott agreed, shaking his head. “But they’ve got their hearts set on it. And I think they want you to come with us.”

“ _Me? Why?_ ”

“I guess so we can go as a family or something. When was the last time all five of us were able to go out together and not worry?”

“ _Um… never? If nothing else, there’s International Rescue to consider._ ”

“I tried that angle,” Scott explained. “They reminded me that it’s possible for you to reroute calls to your personal receiver.”

“ _Damn it, I knew I shouldn’t have told them about that modification,_ ” John muttered.

“Language, John,” Scott said with a small smirk. “You don’t have to come, though. But, well, it wouldn’t feel right not to have offered you in case you did want to.”

John frowned as he thought. “ _Well, I suppose it would be nice to come and see you all again. And it’s been far too long since I was last able to have tea with her Ladyship._ ”

“So, you’ll come?”

“ _Well, it does sound like you may need back up,_ ” John said with a grin.

Scott chuckled. “Thanks, John.”

 

It was the night of the party and the five Tracy men stood outside Lady Penelope’s stately home, waiting to go inside. A queue of people lined in front of and behind them and Scott kept a hand on Alan’s shoulder.

“Scott, you know I’m not gonna run off, right?” Alan asked, looking up at him with a smile. “And, uh, would you loosen your grip?”

“Sorry,” he muttered, letting go of him. His hands fisted at his sides and he knocked them against his legs.

“You’re really anxious about this, aren’t you?” Virgil asked him.

Scott glanced uneasily at the people around them. “I just have a bad feeling,” he said quietly.

“Scott, it’s gonna be fine,” Gordon said, grinning at him. “Knowing Penny, she’ll have her guests spread throughout several rooms. We’ll just find the quietest one if you’re that uneasy.”

He nodded, turning his gaze skyward where the moon hung full and round.

“I know what you’re thinking, Scott,” Virgil said, watching him. “I’m fine.”

He lowered his eyes again to look at him. “Sorry,” he said again, exchanging a look with John.

“Seriously, it’s fine,” Virgil insisted as they reached the front door.

“Good h’evening, and welcome to Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward’s ‘Alloween party.” Parker stopped his practiced opening line when he realised who was in front of him. “Oh, ‘ello, boys,” he said, congenially. “Yes, ‘er Ladyship ‘as been waiting for you. She’s currently in the library.”

“Thanks, Parker,” Scott said, steering the others through the door.

“Fantastic costumes, boys,” Parker called after them as they went.

Gordon and Alan grinned at each other. They’d already had some positive comments from the people lining up near them. “Told you we’d look awesome,” Gordon said.

Scott pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ll be happier once we’re in and settled.”

“Good evening, gentlemen,” a soft well-spoken voice said as it approached them.

Scott looked up to see Lady Penelope approaching them from the other side of the room, wearing a large extravagant Elizabethan ball gown. “Good evening, Lady Penelope,” he replied courteously.

She smiled at him then looked each of them over. “My, my, boys, you’ve certainly gone to town with your costumes, you look wonderful!”

“Thanks, Lady P!” Alan said, grinning at her.

“You look pretty good too,” Gordon offered with a smirk.

“Why, thank you, Gordon, but please don’t come too near me with that green body paint. I’d rather not ruin this gown.”

“Of course,” he replied, exchanging a glance with Alan who grinned some more.

“I like that you’ve all gone down the traditional Halloween costume theme. I’ll admit, I did expect to see at least one superhero amongst you.”

“This is, uh, something we already had,” Virgil replied.

“I see,” she said. “Well, I suppose it was very last minute that you replied to my invite.”

“Yeah,” Scott said.

“I must say you’re all entirely convincing,” she said, her eyes roving over them appraisingly.

She looked first at Scott who wore a simple black suit with a high-collared shirt, covered over with a long black coat. His face was pale, his eyes surrounded by dark rings while his irises were red and when he spoke, Penelope could see sharp-looking fangs.

By contrast, John wore silver. Almost like the uniform she was familiar with him wearing, but entirely silver, dotted with coloured lights which twinkled and flashed in hypnotic patterns, and tubular chrome toned piping that laced across his body. His skin was light blue, similar to the shade their holographic systems made them appear in a call, though his hair was its usual vibrant hue.

She was impressed at Virgil’s daring. He was covered in shaggy brown fur and had wolf-like features on his face, including piercing yellow eyes. He wore his usual flannel shirt and jeans but they’d been artistically ripped to look like he’d worn them during a transition to his character.

Gordon was bright green all over and in places looked as though he had scales like a fish, even down to having gills on his neck. There was webbing between his fingers and his ears looked a little elongated and like fins. He wore a long floating coat made up of many shimmering coloured holographic patches.

Finally, she looked at Alan. His red eyes and pale skin were almost the same as Scott’s, though not quite as pronounced as the elder man’s, and he was covered in stitch lines and what looked like metallic staples, while he wore a simple t-shirt and shorts. Sprouting from his back were purple wings, similar to those of a bat and they seemed to flutter restlessly at random intervals.

“Well, whether they’re something you had before or not, they’re incredibly good. What a lot of prosthetics you have between you. How long did it take you to get ready?”

“Not as long as you’d think,” John replied, glancing at Scott and smiling.

Penelope laughed. “Well, I suppose if you’ve done it before, you’ll know what you’re doing.”

“Oh, definitely,” Virgil said, grinning wolfishly.

She smiled at them again. “Well, feel free to mingle,” she said. “I’m going to go and welcome my other guests. I’ll come and find you again soon.”

Scott nodded and watched her go then lifted his eyes to look at the ceiling, shaking his head. “I can’t believe I agreed to this.”

“Scott, it’s gonna be fine,” Virgil said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

The elder man glanced down at the hand, more like a paw really. “You’re sure?”

“I’m sure,” he replied.

“So, Penny said we could go mingle,” Gordon said, heading towards the door.

“Gordon, just don’t go too far,” Scott called after him.

“Honestly, Scott, it’s gonna be fine,” he replied. “Anyway, I know my way round this place.”

“That doesn’t fill me with confidence, Gordon,” Scott said. He sighed. “Go on.”

Gordon grinned at him and he and Alan ran off.

John placed a hand on his arm. “They’ll be fine. You know I can track them. Let them enjoy themselves.”

“It’s not them I’m worried about, as such. It’s what might happen,” he muttered, looking between them both.

“I know, Scott, but you also know that we’re careful, right?” Virgil patiently reminded him. “Just because we’re out in public like this, doesn’t mean we’ll let our guard down.”

“And Scott, I know you’re worried, but stop biting the inside of your cheek, you’ll hurt yourself,” John pointed out. “Again.”

 

Gordon led Alan through the corridors back towards the main entrance. “Come on, somewhere round here is the ballroom and I’ll bet that’s where most of the guests will be.”

“Why d’you wanna go there?” Alan asked curiously.

“I guess I wanna check out the competition,” he replied.

“Competition?”

“Oh, come on, Al, you gotta admit, we have to have the best costumes here,” Gordon said. “I just wanna have a look to make sure.”

“I suppose no one will be as realistic as we are,” he muttered with a grin.

“Exactly. So we go to the ballroom and see how everyone else looks. Then we can go take a look outside, she if she’s decorated the grounds.” He looked over at Alan with a smirk. “And leave your staples alone! You know better than that.”

“Sorry, I can’t help it. I’m not used to them not being hidden,” he mumbled, the wings shifting slightly.

“I know, but try to leave them or Scott will have your hide.”

 

The party continued and, despite Scott’s fears, he was even beginning to enjoy himself. Penelope returned to them frequently whilst still being attentive to her other guests as well and Scott couldn’t help but be amazed at how easily she assumed the role of hostess when he was more used to seeing her take on the role of secret agent.

“You seem more at ease than when you first arrived, Scott,” she commented the next time she approached.

Scott turned to face her and smiled. “Yeah, but you know us. Worried what might come up.”

“I can imagine,” she said. “I assume you’ve been monitoring just in case?”

“That’s John’s job,” he replied.

“Then you can relax,” she said, taking some drinks from the tray of a passing waiter. She offered one to him. “And I insist you do, Mr Tracy.”

“Ah, come on, Lady P, you know better than that,” Scott said, his smile widening, allowing his fangs to show. “That’s not me, that’s Dad. And anyway, there are five of us. That would get very confusing.”

“Indeed,” she replied, her eyes drifting to his mouth. “You really have put a lot of thought into your outfits between you.”

Scott shrugged. “Like Virgil said, we’re reusing.”

“How are you able to still talk so clearly with fake teeth?”

“Practice,” he said, taking a sip of his drink.

“I see,” she said slowly, smiling back at him.

“You two having fun without us?”

Scott looked up to see Virgil and John returning from the grounds where they’d been for a walk. “Of course,” he replied.

“Good,” John said, glad to see he’d loosened up a little.

“John, how do you get all those lights on your costume to work?” Penelope asked. She reached out a hand, her finger delicately brushing over one of the LEDs on his shoulder.

“Battery pack,” he answered, exchanging a glance with Scott and Virgil over her shoulder as she examined his.

“I see,” she said softly. “It’s beautiful, so much work has gone into making this.”

“Uh huh,” he said.

“And your body paint, it looks like a professional did it,” she said. “All of you, in fact. Some of my guests look as though they may have bought children’s face paint and it’s incredibly streaky and started to run when they got too warm, but yours looks as though your skin is actually blue, John.”

“Yeah,” he replied. “We know someone who’s a whizz with a paintbrush.”

“You must introduce me to them,” she insisted.

“Ah, but then we’d be divulging trade secrets,” Scott said, smoothly. “I’m afraid we can’t.”

Penelope pouted playfully but then smiled at him. “Oh, alright.”

Virgil chuckled, leaning on Scott’s shoulder. “She’ll be asking who does our hair next,” he joked.

“Well, on that note, Virgil, aren’t you warm in that costume? You’re practically wearing a whole wolf coat.”

Virgil smirked. “Funny you should say that,” he muttered, his yellow eyes full of mischief as he looked at her. “But, uh, no, I’m not hot. Bear in mind, we’re used to a tropical climate so this is keeping me nice and warm in a room that under normal circumstances, I expect I’d feel quite cold in.”

“That’s true, I suppose,” she conceded.

Scott grinned and had been about to say something else when he heard Gordon running in their direction. He exchanged a glance with Virgil, knowing his ears would have picked up the sound as well, and, seeing the same look of concern in his eyes, they both took off in the direction they could hear their brother coming from.

Penelope looked stunned, watching them go, before turning to John. “What was all that about?”

John glanced at her, uneasily. He could sense what was going on but feigned ignorance. “I’d better go find out.”

“I’ll come with you,” she responded.

“No, it’s alright, you attend to your guests. It’s probably just something Alan or Gordon has done.”

“All the more reason for me to investigate, knowing Gordon.”

John grimaced. That was a fair point, but he knew he needed to distract her. “Honestly, we’ll sort whatever it is out.”

“John, I’m coming with you.”

With a frustrated sigh, he went in the direction he knew his brothers had gone, wondering how he was going to get rid of his tag-along.

 

Scott and Virgil ran so fast it was like they were flying to reach their brother.

“What happened?” Scott asked as soon as he spotted Gordon.

“Outside,” he said breathlessly. He always became short of breath when he was worked up, whether through anger or anxiety. “Fell.”

“He fell?” Scott repeated, concern filling him as they started running again, directed by Gordon. It was like the accident all over again.

“Not far,” Gordon assured him, knowing he’d be worrying. “But far enough.”

Gritting his teeth, Scott put on an extra burst of speed, trying not to bite into his lip as he did and knowing Virgil and Gordon would catch up.

He threw himself through the French doors and listened carefully, hearing the sound of his youngest brother whimpering slightly. Before he was even aware of moving, he was at Alan’s side. “What happened, Alan?” he asked, dropping to his knees beside him.

“We were messing around,” he admitted, his eyes shining with unshed tears and the wings folded round himself. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, it’s gonna be alright. Let me see you,” Scott said, his gaze roving over the young Tracy as he moved the wings. He seemed, for the most part, unscathed. Until his eyes reached his arm, which was lying a foot away from his body, stitches torn and staples jagged at the edges. He looked up as the others all caught up and frowned when he realised Penelope had followed. He moved to block Alan from her view, his posture becoming defensive.

“Scott? What’s happened?” she asked, her tone concerned, but her expression filling with confusion when she saw the look in Scott’s eyes. He looked almost feral and it was beginning to frighten her.

“Get back,” he hissed, his red eyes boring into hers.

Without even realising what she was doing, she stepped away from him, unable to look away.

“Scott, that’s enough,” John said, putting himself between the pair. His own eyes glowed luminous green as he stared at his older brother and Scott knew he’d set up a shield to protect her.

“We need to take him somewhere less public,” Virgil suggested, moving closer to Scott, knowing he was the only other one fast enough to take him down if necessary.

The elder man glanced at him, then looked back at Alan who was trying to sit up. He screwed his eyes shut. “Virgil, take him,” he muttered.

Alan leaned over to grab his arm as Virgil easily lifted him up, tucking the wings behind his little brother.

They all heard Penelope gasp when she saw him and Scott rounded on her again.

“Scott, no,” John said. “Stay back.”

“I knew coming here was a bad idea, but you all wanted to come!” he growled.

Gordon stepped closer to Penelope, his hands out in front of him. He knew he’d be of little use if Scott chose to pounce, but he would at least try.

“What’s done is done, Scott, and the damage isn’t too severe,” John said.

“To him physically, perhaps not, but she’s seen!”

“Scott, you can trust me, you know that!” Penelope insisted, her eyes bright and still full of fear, but Scott could also sense her honesty and slowly began to relax out of his defensive posture.

“Then tell us where we can go that your other guests won’t be able to access,” he replied. No one else had come outside yet, but he knew it would only be a matter of time.

“My private quarters upstairs,” she said quietly. “May I lead you?”

Scott nodded and moved to Alan’s side, glancing up at Virgil before looking back at him. “It’s gonna be alright, Kiddo,” he whispered softly.

“Yeah,” Alan muttered, his gaze focused on the arm in his lap as Virgil cradled him close. “Just fine, right?”

“Right,” Scott agreed.

Virgil and Gordon followed immediately after Lady Penelope, John and Scott just behind them.

“You let your temper control you, Scott,” John chided. “You haven’t slipped like that in a very long time.”

“John, he was almost discovered by a mansion full of people,” Scott countered, frowning at him.

“Indeed, and by extension, you were then almost discovered too, when you nearly attacked Penelope. It was only the fact that between us we were able to talk you down that stopped you. I know that stance, you were about to attack. And as it is, the only person who saw anything is someone who already holds one of our biggest secrets. I think we’ll be able to trust her.”

“I hope so,” Scott said, sighing. He knew he’d let go of his control and he felt ashamed of himself, but then he remembered it hadn’t been his idea to come in the first place and he felt himself getting riled up again.

“You’re still struggling, aren’t you?”

He nodded, his fists clenching at his sides as he walked. “I’m trying, John, I’m really trying. But I keep feeling like I knew we shouldn’t have come. That voice that reminds me of the bad choices that lead to even worse events keeps reminding me I agreed to this.”

“And we’ve told you before, ignore that voice. You’re better than that.”

He heaved a deep sigh as he looked at John, red eyes meeting green. “Am I?”

“Yes, you are,” John insisted. “And your control has improved so much over the last few years, don’t let it slip now.”

Scott nodded again. “I’m trying,” he repeated.

 

They followed Penelope up flights of stairs, along corridors and through doors that seemed like part of the wall until she opened them, before finally they reached an area of the manor that was hers alone and never open to guests.

“In here,” she said, holding open the door and allowing them in before following them, closing it firmly behind her.

Virgil took Alan straight over to the long couch, laying him down gently.

“How is this possible?” she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

“How are any of us possible?” Scott muttered, sitting down in a high-backed armchair and resting his face in his hands.

Penelope looked up from where Virgil was carefully examining the detached limb and turned to face him. “Scott?”

“You know what I’m talking about,” he said. “I can sense that you’ve worked it out, or at least partially.”

“You’re… you’re not…” She glanced at Alan again, then looked round at the rest of them. John and Gordon both stood nearby, watching her curiously as Scott rose gracefully from his chair and approached. “What are you?” she asked.

“Which of us?” Scott asked, stopping right in front of her.

She found herself mesmerised by his intense red gaze before she turned away and looked at the others. “You mean, all of you?”

“Well, each of us is different,” John said, folding his arms across his chest. “But none of us is entirely, well…” He glanced at the others.

“Human,” Gordon finished for him. “You’re seeing us as we truly are. Normally we hide our natural appearance.”

“You’re not… human?”

“Penelope, we’re not wearing costumes, not in the sense you’d associate with this party,” John said. “As Gordon said, this is how we naturally look. But we’ve perfected the art of glamouring ourselves over the years.”

“Glamouring?” she asked, sitting down in a nearby chair as she looked between them all.

“A term we use to describe the art of fitting in with the human population,” Scott explained. Now he knew they were away from prying eyes and with someone who he felt could be trusted with their secret, he’d begun to calm down. She was right, she knew them and they’d trusted her for years.

Penelope stared at him before looking at each of the others again. Her face was pale with shock. “But… how?”

Scott looked between the others, silently asking if they were happy for a full explanation to be given. He locked eyes with each of them and received a nod in response, before returning his gaze to Penelope. “To put it simply, we were born this way. Our parents, Jeff and Lucy, were, well, I suppose the only way to describe them is to use the word ‘demon’ but that doesn’t fully cover it. That word has such negative connotations, but like with people, there are good demons and bad. Our parents were good. And their union produced us, each born with a different demonic trait.”

“Demonic?” Penelope whispered, her hands clenched together in her lap to try and hide how much they were shaking.

“As I said, there isn’t really a word in this language that covers what we are properly but there are descriptions of aspects of our natures in folklore. I would be known as a vampire,” Scott said, allowing his upper lip to curl back and reveal the sharp fangs. “I don’t fly around at night drinking the blood of mortals as the movies would have you believe, but I do drink blood. And I need to feed relatively rarely so I can have a pint of blood from a donor bank and that will last me several weeks.”

“You drink blood?” she whispered, a hand raising to her throat almost reflexively.

Scott chuckled. “Relax, Lady P,” he said kindly. “As I said, I’m not going to sink my fangs into your neck. I fed last week. I do, however, struggle with sunlight.”

“So that’s why your office is below ground,” Penelope breathed, a small smile forming. “I’d often wondered when you have such a wonderful view from all the windows on your island.”

Scott smiled slightly. “Yeah. Though, to be honest, I’ve always preferred the look of places in the moonlight anyway. I can go out in the sun, but I have to cover up. It won’t kill me, but it’s like instant sun burn. Not particularly pleasant. My uniform has full gloves and a tinted visor for that reason. I tried fingerless gloves for a little while but I found I just kept burning my hands so went with full gloves.”

“So, even though you’re… you’re all… well, like this, you still go out as International Rescue?”

“Penelope, I told you. We were born this way. We’ve always gone out like this. We don’t want to hurt people, we want to help people. That’s why we do what we do. And being able to run faster than average and with my keen hearing, it means I can do that job a little better than would be standard.” Scott grinned at her, those bright white fangs flashing in the light of the chandelier hanging above them. “And the fact that I can be, uh, pretty persuasive helps too. Especially with reluctant rescue victims.”

“Persuasive?”

“Didn’t you notice how earlier when I gave directions like ‘back off’ you just did it?”

Penelope thought back to the garden. “When you said it, I just felt compelled to do it.”

“Exactly. Normally the only time I use that particular ability is to save people, and it only works on humans. Usually it’s the ones who are too frightened to move when they really should. So I’m sorry I used it on you earlier.”

Penelope shook her head. “It’s alright,” she said, then looked around at them all again. “So, are you all vampires?”

“No,” John said. “As Scott said, we were all born with different traits. Mine is slightly complicated because when I was born they thought I was almost human, just with blue tinted skin and orange hair but as I came into contact with technology, my body started to absorb it and integrate it into me, augmenting my nervous system, skeletal structure and musculature.”

“You absorb technology into you?”

“Yeah,” John replied, smiling shyly. “I suppose the closest description of me would be a cyborg. The first thing I absorbed was one of those toys parents attach to the side of a baby’s cot to entertain the infant.” His fingers reached up to brush over one of the LEDs on his shoulder. “As I got older, I learned to control what I absorbed, so it doesn’t happen randomly anymore. Suffice it to say, I’m just glad my body didn’t feel like it needed the speaker that sang ridiculous songs off that toy.”

The smile that broke onto Penelope’s face quickly turned into a laugh as the aristocrat imagined him randomly playing nursery rhymes.

“Yes, yes, very funny,” John said, shaking his head, but his smile remained.

“I’m sorry, John, I couldn’t help it,” she replied.

“You want me to go next?” Virgil asked, not looking up from helping Alan to reattach his arm.

“Nah, you focus on fixing Mr Frankenstein there,” Gordon said, grinning.

“Gordon, I’ve asked you not to call me that,” Alan whined, looking up at Virgil.

“Gordon, don’t call him that,” Virgil said, still focusing.

The fourth brother just rolled his eyes and looked back at Penelope. “I don’t think there’s really a name for what I am,” Gordon said, letting his hands sweep down himself. “As I think you’ve probably worked out by now, none of these are prosthetics. I really do have gills, but I’m also amphibious so I’m a bit weird like that. Don’t think amphibians usually have gills.”

Penelope closed her eyes shaking her head slightly. “You think the fact that you being amphibious and having gills is weird?” she asked softly.

“Hey, don’t knock it,” Gordon said. “Helps me when I’m swimming and means I don’t have to walk around like some kind of cartoon character with a fish tank on my head if I want to breathe out of water. But we think it’s for this reason that I get short of breath when I’m agitated, like earlier on.”

“Because you’re not in water?” Penelope asked, feeling like all she was doing was asking questions.

“Yeah,” Gordon agreed. “But hey, on the whole, I’m okay.”

She smiled at him then turned to Alan. “And what about you, Alan?” she queried, her voice quiet as she could see he still looked a little distressed.

“I was born with these wings,” he said, gesturing over his shoulder to the purple wings that were still wrapped round him, mostly at his waist. “But I was premature so they never really fully developed, meaning although they look big enough, they don’t work properly. I can’t fly or anything. They’re not strong enough to support my weight.”

Penelope nodded sympathetically. “I see,” she said, then glanced at his arm, severed halfway between his shoulder and elbow. “So, uh…”

“How does that explain this?” he finished, taking a thread from Virgil and pulling it tight so that his lower arm was drawn up to meet his upper. “Separate issue.” He glanced at Scott, seeking permission.

Penelope noticed his gaze and turned to look at the elder man. “Scott?”

“He wants to know if he’s allowed to tell you how this happened because it involves me,” Scott said, quietly, getting up and going over to stand by the window. His hands were linked behind his back and his head was lowered as he looked out over the garden. “You can tell her.”

She watched him a moment longer before turning back to the younger man. “See, it is kinda related to the fact my wings don’t work. Gordon and I were climbing the peak on the island and I fell. A long way. And there were some really jagged rocks below. I tried to use my wings to even slow my decent but it just didn’t work. When I landed I was pretty badly ripped up and I think Scott said I might have died. A little bit anyway.”

“Died?”

“Yeah. It was a combination of Scott’s venom and John acting as a life support machine that saved me apparently. I don’t really remember it all too well.”

“Venom?” Penelope asked, looking back at him.

“Just because I don’t bite people for food, doesn’t mean I’m not still poisonous. To humans at least,” Scott murmured, turning to face her. “To our kind it gives some of my ability to heal from anything. Which is why his eyes are skin are similar to mine. He never used to be so pale and his eyes used to be a lovely shade of blue.”

She stared at him a moment then looked back at Alan. “So, he brought you back to life?”

“Pretty much,” Alan said. “Then between him and John, they fixed me up. I was just lucky that through that technology he’s absorbed, John is somehow able to track us and sense changes in us. That and the fact he was home from Five the day it happened. Though I do look a bit like… well, I guess Gordon is right, even though I don’t like being called that. I do look like Frankenstein’s monster because I have stitches and staples holding me together. Thank goodness they didn’t have to bolt my head back on.”

Virgil finished tying off the stitches on Alan’s arm then looked round. “I suppose that just leaves me,” he said.

“Am I right in assuming you’re a… a werewolf?” Penelope stammered.

“Close enough,” Virgil replied. “I can change on command, I don’t have to wait for a full moon. And I can go as far into my change as I want, which is why I look more like a lupine human tonight, for the sake of it looking like a costume. But when I fully change, I’m fully wolf, not a bipedal version like in horror films. I can be affected by the full moon, but not in the way you’d expect.”

“What d’you mean?”

“He usually becomes ravenous,” Scott supplied, looking as though he was supressing a smirk.

“Ravenous?” Penelope repeated, concerned.

“Oh yeah,” Gordon said, laughing. “He’s been known to eat everything in the pantry on a full moon night. It’s like he just can’t get enough.”

Virgil folded his arms. “You make it sound awful,” he said, a smile on his muzzle. “Honestly, I did that once and I was a teenager. You know very well what teenage appetites are like.”

“Hmm,” Scott said, exchanging a glance with John. “When we came downstairs the following morning we found him flat out on the kitchen floor surrounded by empty packets and jars.”

John chuckled. “We managed to get him to his room and he slept for the rest of the day.”

Penelope looked between them, her eyes wide but a smile on her lips. “If it wasn’t for the fact that this all sounds so supernatural, it would sound like you’re just telling me stories of you boys growing up.”

“Well, in a sense, we are,” John said. “Because to us, this was just the way we grew up.”

The London agent glanced at Virgil. “It’s a full moon tonight, I believe. Do my guests have to worry about the buffet being cleared out?”

Virgil chuckled and shook his head. “As I told Scott earlier, I’m fine. Maybe a little hungrier than usual, but not to the point I’m gonna go diving on your table to get there first.”

“Oh good,” she replied. “But, you know, if you need, I can ask the kitchen to prepare extras.”

“Don’t you start,” he quipped playfully, smiling at her.

“Do you feel we have answered all your questions?” Scott asked, approaching and sitting down next to her.

“I think so,” she said, looking between them all again. “I just… how did I never notice anything? I mean, it’s so obvious!”

Scott smiled at her. “As John said earlier, we’re very good at glamouring.” He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath.

Penelope’s eyes widened as she watched colour blossoming on his cheeks before spreading across his whole face, down what she could see of his neck and appearing at his hands. The dark circles vanished and his irises, when he opened his eyes again, were the bright blue she associated with the oldest Tracy brother. “Astonishing,” she said, then looked around at the others. The only thing giving away that anything was out of the ordinary for them was the clothes they wore. Scott was still in his black suit, John in a silver jumpsuit, though there were no visible lights on it, Virgil in his ripped outfit, Gordon in his patterned coat and Alan in his shorts and t-shirt. There was even no sign of his wings, no hint that he possessed them. Not even a bulge under the back of his shirt. The camouflage was perfect. “That really is incredible.”

Scott smiled then looked at the others. “We should probably go back to our normal for now, seeing as people might question why we, uh, got out of our costumes before the end of the party.”

She watched them as the glamour dropped and it was like finally realising that something you’ve been looking for has been right in front of you the whole time. She wondered how on earth she could have missed it.

“What I want to know, though,” Scott said, rounding on Alan who was standing up with Virgil’s help, “is how this happened. Gordon said you fell and you said you were messing around.”

Alan sighed and lowered his head. “I knew you wouldn’t forget that,” he muttered, kicking at the edge of the rug he was stood on. “We went to look at the decorations outside and I wanted to see them better so I climbed a tree. And lost my balance.”

“So how did your arm come off?” Scott asked.

“Because when I fell my arm got stuck in a forked branch. I fell, the arm stayed there, ripping the stitches.”

“Oh,” Scott replied, unsure what else to say.

Alan chanced a glance up at him and was surprised to see a smile trying to form on his lips. “Scott?”

He couldn’t help it. He started to chuckle. “I’m sorry, Alan, I’m not laughing at you. It’s this image I have of you on the floor and your arm waving at you from the tree.”

Gordon snorted with laughter behind him as Alan bit his lip in embarrassment. “Well, my arm didn’t stay up there. It fell down right after me. It kinda hit me in the face as it dropped on me.”

Penelope stared at them all as the four older boys all started laughing, joined not long after by the youngest as he realised how ridiculous that sounded. She shook her head and went over, a smile on her lips. Despite the fear she’d felt earlier at the sudden and unexpected events, these were still the Tracys she’d known since she was a little girl and now they’d shared their secret with her, she felt even closer to them than ever.

Scott wiped at his eyes, calming down as he looked at Penelope. “Thank you for being so understanding,” he said, softly, looking at her. “It means a lot to us that we can trust you, and it’s also important to us because it means we have another safe place where we can really be ourselves. Because of the accident and the, uh, ease at which Alan comes apart, he hasn’t been able to leave the island save for rescues. His suit protects his fragile nature.”

“Scott, you make it sound like I’m made of porcelain,” Alan said, rolling his eyes.

“Well, you’re made of stronger stuff than that, I know that, Alan,” Scott replied. “Just, I don’t want people freaking out if you get stuck in a door and leave a leg behind or something.”

Alan stuck his tongue out at him before turning back to Virgil.

Scott chuckled fondly before looking at Penelope as she spoke. “You’re always welcome here, Scott,” she said. “Nothing will change that. And yes, I want you to feel comfortable here, even if that means shedding the glamour as you call it. May I tell Parker? You know he can be trusted, too.”

“Perhaps it would help him if we told him about us,” John suggested. “I wouldn’t want him trying to lock you in an institution or something because he thinks you’ve lost the plot over us.”

Penelope smiled and let out a small laugh. “I suppose he might, I think I only believed it because I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Exactly,” Scott said. “But we trust him. He’s never let us down, so yes. We’ll tell him. But for now, I think we need a breather and a sit down. And I think John was rather hoping you might offer him a cup of tea.”


	2. Reminiscing

Penelope’s guests had all long since departed, leaving only the Tracy brothers remaining at the manor.

“Want a hand tidying up?” Scott asked.

“I’m sure Parker would be most appreciative of your assistance,” Penelope responded. “I’ll quickly go and change out of this gown if you don’t mind. It’s incredibly heavy. Once I’m done, I’ll lend a hand as well.”

“Gosh, Penny, tidying up your own mess?” Gordon teased playfully as he gathered discarded glasses from around the room.

“Why, Gordon, are you suggesting I don’t help? I may have Parker and a few other staff but I wouldn’t dream of leaving them to such a task after an event of this size.”

Gordon held up his hands, the glasses clinking together as he held by their stems between his fingers. “I was only kidding,” he said.

Penelope smiled at him but then tilted her head. “Doesn’t the webbing between your fingers get in the way?” she asked curiously.

“Meh, not when you’re used to it being there,” he replied. “It’s pretty pliable.”

“It’s like when you asked about my fangs earlier,” Scott added, piling leftover food onto one plate so the others could be better stacked. “It’s just something we’re used to.” He noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see Virgil following him. With a roll of his eyes, he handed over the plate of leftovers. “You can be so gross sometimes, Virgil.”

“What? I’m not going as far as taking anything partially eaten. Just the leftover food that’s not been touched,” he said with a grin.

Scott just shook his head and left him to it. “To be honest, Lady Penelope, you probably won’t have to worry about what to do with the food.”

Penelope laughed. “How convenient,” she said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, gentlemen, I’ll return shortly. Then, if I may, I’d love to hear some more stories if you’d be willing to share?”

Crouched nearby as he picked up random detritus from the floor, John noticed Scott tense. To most it would be almost imperceptible, but to John it was a plain as day. “Sounds good, Lady Penelope,” he said, straightening and taking the handful of rubbish he’d collected to the bag tied to the back of a chair. He glanced at Scott, knowing the older man would be able to read him, reassuring him with a look.

The aristocrat smiled and nodded. “Wonderful, thank you. I’ll not be long,” she said as she left the room.

Leaving just enough time to make sure she was definitely out of earshot, Scott rounded on John but before he could say anything, a blue hand was held up in front of him. “Easy, Scott,” John said, his tone placating.

“John, you know we can’t stay much longer!” Scott hissed quietly, glancing around at the others. “We shouldn’t have stayed this long.”

John folded his arms and raised an eyebrow at him, then looked at the others. They’d all stopped to watch them. “Guys, why don’t you go see if they need help elsewhere?” he suggested. “I think Scott and I need to have a chat.”

Alan looked between them, concerned. He’d been a bit quieter after the incident with his arm, the limb still aching. His wings shifted intermittently as he regarded his two oldest brothers.

“Go on, Kiddo,” Scott said softly. His tone was gentle enough but his hands, fisted at his sides again, gave him away.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“He’ll be fine, Alan,” John assured him. “Go on. I think you and Gordon might want to make sure Virgil doesn’t offer to help tidy the kitchen though.”

“Ah, good point,” the youngest agreed, glad to be of some use. He and his immediately older brother looked around and exchanged a look when they realised Virgil had already wandered off. “I think we better go find him, Gordo.”

“Yeah,” Gordon said. “Time to put Operation Stop the Ravenous Wolf into action.”

Alan grinned and the two of them ran out of the room.

John watched them go then turned back to Scott, unsurprised to see him glaring at him. “Now, Scott-”

“Why did you agree to that!” Scott yelled at him. “We need to get back to base soon and you know it! We’ve been away too long already!”

“Could I just interrupt your rant briefly?” John asked, tilting his head slightly. “You know as well as I do that this need to get back to base is just you being tetchy because we’ve been here. You actually managed to enjoy yourself this evening, save for the short interlude.”

“Interlude? You call what happened to Alan an interlude? What if someone had seen that, John?”

“Scott, you’re not gonna get all worked up over that again, are you? We sorted that. He’s fine, _you’re_ fine. Now calm down and listen. You are aware that I’ve had Five patched into my communicator, yes?”

“Yes, but-”

“And you know that I would tell you if anything came up that needed our attention, yes?”

“Well, yes, but-”

“Then where’s the problem?” John asked. “You’re afraid we’re gonna miss a call or something, that we won’t be available to help if we’re needed, but, Scott, I think your unease at coming here has stopped you remembering that I’ve monitored every single transmission.”

Scott sighed and sat down in a nearby armchair. “I know,” he muttered. “And you’re right. It’s just I don’t like the idea of being away for so long. Sure we have Two out in the grounds, but still, I’d be much happier back home, knowing we have access to everything we need, rather than having to make do with what we’ve got and hoping it’ll be enough.”

John went over and sat on the armrest, putting a hand on Scott’s shoulder. “I know that, Scott. Which is why when I agreed to Penelope’s idea I had a thought to share, but you kinda got in the way of that.”

He looked up at the younger man. “Oh?”

“Well, I’m sure, having been told now, that Parker is just as curious as Lady Penelope is,” he pointed out. “Why don’t we help tidy up here, make sure everything is sorted, then they come back with us?”

“Back to the island?”

“Why not?” John asked. “That way, we’re where we need to be if a call comes in, and we can still tell them about us.”

Scott frowned slightly as he considered this, but then smiled softly. “I suppose doing it that way we won’t be just brushing her off. But do you really want to tell her stories about us?”

“Aww, come on, Scott, it might be fun. This is the first time someone outside of the family, truly separate from us, has been trusted with this particular secret and I for one would love to be able to share it all. I trust her.”

A small smile began to form at the corners of Scott’s mouth. “I trust her too,” he said. “And it would feel good to have an outsider who really understood us. I mean, it’s great that Kayo and Brains are so understanding and all, but, well, they’re more like family. They live and work with us. Penelope isn’t a constant like they are.”

“Exactly,” John agreed softly.

Scott sighed and nodded. “Alright then,” he said softly.

“Everything alright?”

They both turned to see Penelope returning wearing jeans and a long thick jumper which rolled up almost to her chin. Scott smirked at her. “You’re not hiding your neck on my account, are you?” he asked.

Penelope looked down over herself then back at him. “Oh! Oh, the roll neck,” she said, reaching up to brush her fingers over it. “No, not at all. You’ve already assured me that I’m safe on that count. It’s more because I’m rather cold.”

John turned to grin at Scott. “It’s not all about you, Scott,” he said, his tone light and teasing before turning back to Penelope. “But in answer to your question, yes, everything’s fine. You know what Scott’s like for worrying about being available should a call come in, he’s starting to get tense. So, we were wondering if you and Parker would like to return to the island with us. It’s been a while since you last came out to visit.”

“You’re right, John, it has been. I’d love to if that’s alright with you,” she said, smiling at them both.

Scott smiled back, already feeling more at ease knowing they’d be returning soon. “We’d welcome your visit,” he replied.

“Then once we’re done here, I’ll go and pack a few things for the duration.”

Scott and John glanced at each other, knowing what Penelope was like for ‘travelling light’. “We have Thunderbird Two outside if you need assistance with your luggage,” the elder man said, grinning again.

Penelope folded her arms with a smile of her own. “Are you trying to insinuate I can’t moderate my packing?”

“Insinuate? Me?” Scott asked, glancing at John. “Would I do that?”

“You don’t insinuate, do you, Scott?” John replied, laughing as he turned back to Penelope. “I think he’s outright telling you.”

“Oh you!” she said, waving her hands at them. “Go on, you offered to help, so go help. We’ll be done faster then.”

“FAB,” Scott replied, leaving the room with John to find the others.

 

“So, when’s Penelope getting here?” Alan asked. It was the following morning on the island and Penelope had been delayed, having had to attend to a meeting before joining them. So now Alan was wandering around the lounge, his wings fluttering behind him.

“Parker is bringing her out in her car so she doesn’t have to rely on any of us to get her home again after her visit, especially if we’re all tied up like we’ve been known to be.” Scott watched his youngest brother pacing around, a habit he’d picked up from the eldest when he was anxious or excited. He himself was sat at the back of the room, separate from the others to avoid the sunshine flooding into the room through the large windows.

“Yeah, but when’s she getting here?” Alan repeated, turning to face him.

“She’ll get here when she gets here, Al,” Virgil offered. He was lounging across one of the sofas, his eyes closed, arms linked behind his head and ankles crossed up on the furniture.

“Actually, she’s on final approach,” John reported. He was sitting on the edge of the table that usually displayed their holographic data, an image of her pink symbol hovering above his arm in conjunction with a map of the approach to their home.

“She’s coming?” Alan asked, his wings spreading wide in anticipation.

“Ow, Alan, watch it with the wings,” Gordon grumbled. He’d just entered the room with a drink as Alan reacted to John’s statement and was met with a wing in the face.

Alan spun to face him. “Sorry,” he muttered, tucking them close back behind him, before his tone returned to its previous gleeful. “Just, I’m excited for her to come out. It’s gonna be really cool to tell her about us. We can stop glamouring when we have dealings with her now.”

Virgil chuckled. “It will make things easier for us,” he said.

Scott smiled at them all. “It will,” he agreed softly as Gordon sat down next to him.

“They’ve landed,” John stated, standing up. “Want me to go out and meet them?”

“Please,” Scott said. “It’s too bright for me today.”

Alan tilted his head as John headed outside. “I still think as a vampire you should be able to have wings like me,” he said, his own raising over his head to create a parasol effect. “Don’t vampires have the ability to turn into bats?”

Scott shook his head with a small laugh. “Alan, I’m not really a vampire in that sense. You know that. I have vampiric traits.”

Alan shrugged. “Be easier for you outside if you did have wings though,” he countered.

“It’s my skin that burns, remember? What’s covering your wings if not your skin?” Scott reasoned.

He glanced above him, tipping his wings further towards his face. “Oh yeah,” he said. “Fair enough. Can I go out to see them too?”

“Yeah, go on.” Scott watched him run off after John before looking back at the others.

Virgil opened one eye to look over at him. “He seems no worse for wear after yesterday,” he stated, closing it again and relaxing back. “He told me earlier it’s not even aching anymore.”

“As usual,” Gordon added, looking up at Scott. “And you’ve calmed down too. Why did you get so worked up yesterday? You haven’t lost control of your temper like that since you were a teenager.”

“I dunno, Gordon,” Scott responded, shrugging. “I guess it was a combination of us being out in public without glamours and all of us being off base, even John. I was worried on both fronts.”

“You worry too much, Scott. It’s turning you grey,” Virgil offered.

Scott raised an eyebrow before launching a perfectly aimed cushion at his brother, catching him right in the centre of his chest with enough force that he sat up to gasp in a breath. “Wow, Scott, that hurt!” he yelped, throwing it back and lying back down.

He caught it easily and put it back. “It’s you lot that causes the grey, you realise,” he said, though his tone was fond.

“You love us really,” Gordon chimed in.

Scott smiled and nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, I do. But I’ll deny that under oath.”

“Yeah, right,” Gordon retorted, rolling his eyes then looked up as John lead Penelope in with a very excited Alan bouncing and flapping around after them.

“Alan, calm down, would you,” Scott called out to him as he stood. “You’re going to hit someone with your wings again.”

He looked over his shoulder as if only just realising what his wings were doing. “Oh, yeah, sorry,” he said, folding them against his back.

“As I’m sure you’re aware,” Scott pointed out as their visitor fully entered the room, “we don’t have many guests here.”

“I can understand that,” Penelope replied as she sat down. “I assume you won’t be joining us over here?”

He shook his head. “I’m afraid not,” he said softly, returning to his seat. “Too bright. But I can hear you all just fine from where I am.”

“Alright,” she said.

“Where’s Parker gone?” Gordon asked, noticing the man’s absence.

“To take Lady Penelope’s bags to her room,” John supplied, pushing Virgil’s feet off the sofa and sitting down next to him.

“By the way, how long have we got you before you have to head back up, John?” Alan asked, still wandering around the lowered seating area until he noticed a look from Scott and sat down on the edge of the seat next to Gordon.

“I’ll stay down today then head back up tomorrow,” he replied, watching their youngest brother with a smile.

He wasn’t really one for sitting still. Even now he fidgeted, his hands tangling together in his lap through sheer excitement. “Awesome!” he responded with a grin.

Virgil chuckled. “Chill, Alan,” he said, putting his feet back up over John’s lap. “See, I’ve got him. He’s not going anywhere now.”

Penelope laughed, finding their interactions amusing.

 

Evening was beginning to draw in, the shadows lengthening across the room. This was Scott’s favourite time of day, when he was able to enjoy his home without being restricted.

“The sunset looks like to be stunning this evening.”

Scott turned to see Lady Penelope descending the stairs. He smiled slightly. “Perhaps, but it’s not a view I take particular pleasure from.”

“I suppose not,” she said, moving to stand beside him and placing a hand on his shoulder. “Sorry, I didn’t think.”

“Not to worry,” he replied. “Are you all settled in now?”

“Yes, thank you, Scott,” she confirmed. She stepped away and went over to the windows. “It’s beautiful here.”

“Yes, it is,” Scott agreed, stepping a little closer himself.

Penelope glanced back at him, noticing him remaining at the edge of the shadows. “May I ask you something?”

“I believe you just did, but continue,” Scott replied, grinning.

“Why is this place so bright and open? I mean, Jeff designed this place. Why design it to allow in as much sunlight as it does when you’re so affected by it?”

Scott smiled at her. “Because I’m not the only one who lives here,” he explained. “I could have suggested less light be allowed in, but that’s not fair on the others. I make do. I stay within the shadows and cover myself as necessary and I have my own office, so there’s a balance.”

“Have you always been affected by sunlight?” she asked, returning to his side.

He nodded, both of them heading back to the seating area where they sat together. “Yeah,” he responded. “Unless our traits are physically visible, like Alan’s wings, it’s sometimes not obvious what we are when we’re born. When Mom and Dad took me home after my birth, the sun was out and my face was burnt before they realised fully what I was. When they noticed my skin was beginning to burn, they began to suspect my nature.”

“Was it serious?” Penelope questioned, concerned.

Scott smiled at her. “I was barely a day old, so of course my skin was far more delicate than it is now. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but it did take a while for me to heal. These days, I can heal from far worse injuries in a much quicker time.”

“So, was it your skin burning that enlightened your parents as to your nature?”

“Partially. It was the confirming factor, though, I think. From birth, I’ve always had fangs. No other teeth, just my fangs, though nowhere near as sharp as they are now. I have been known to bite my lip or my cheek too hard and injure myself without realising I’ve done it. And I’ve always been this pale and had red eyes.”

“And your, uh…” She bit her lip, wondering how to phrase her inquiry.

“You want to know about my feeding habits,” he assumed, smiling again.

She hesitated. “Well… yes.”

“I’ve always fed on blood,” he clarified. “These days we have a donor supply here that I dip into as and when I need to and because we have medical facilities on site for International Rescue, we have a valid reason to need it. But when I was born, it was all different. Apparently, Mom was unable to feed me herself. It upset her at first, thinking she was failing me as a mother because I was weakening, but then I think Dad pointed out that it was likely I didn’t feed on the same things as most children, even children of our kind. At that point Mom’s heightened instincts seemed to override her parental worries. When she suspected what I might be, she sent Dad to the local butchers and he was able to get some blood. Once I’d fed, I grew stronger and, as I already told you, I feed pretty infrequently which Mom’s instincts told her quite fast. Which was good, considering what I feed on. I have no idea what story they told the butcher to get the blood.”

Penelope laughed a little. “Your poor parents,” she said. “But it’s lucky your mother had good instincts.”

Scott nodded. “She really did,” he said. “When it came to us at the very least. She always seemed to know exactly what we all needed, even Dad, though if she was over tired, like after each of our births, it could take her a little longer for her instincts to kick in.”

“I can imagine,” Penelope agreed. She looked down at her hands, unsure how to proceed.

He watched her. “One of the facets of my nature is that I can read people particularly well. You want to know about our parents.”

“Yes,” she whispered. “I just didn’t want to upset you, I know it can be a touchy subject.”

“Thank you for your consideration,” he replied quietly. “But I’ll tell you about them if you’d like to hear about them. It’s probably better that I do than one of the others.”

“Are you sure?” she asked. “I know how much your circumstances upsets you.”

He smiled softly at her briefly. “Normally, most people at this point would say ‘I’m only human’.” He chuckled briefly then sighed. “Even though I might not physically be human, I still feel about my parents as anyone else does. I miss them. A lot. So naturally, it does upset me. I grieve for my mother. I worry about my father because we don’t know where he is, or if he’s even still alive. But I also have to consider my brothers. I’d rather put myself out than have them distressed or upset or hurt.”

“You’re the perfect protector for them,” she stated quietly.

He tipped his head shyly. “Thank you. Now, what would you like to know?”

“Well, you’ve all told me about your individual traits,” Penelope said. “What were they like?”

Scott’s smile returned. “We always teased Dad about his traits.”

“Really?”

“Oh yeah. He’s reptilian.”

“Reptilian? You mean… you mean he’s like a lizard?”

Scott chuckled again. “Somewhat. Though more like a dinosaur. In his natural state his skin is mottled green, almost like Gordon, and toughened with scales. He has yellow eyes, similar to Virgil’s but obviously the pupils are different. Virgil’s eyes are mammalian, whereas, of course, Dad’s are reptilian. And he also has a long tail. He really does look like a dinosaur. So naturally, when we were kids we’d tease him about being a fossil and an old dinosaur.”

Penelope smiled. “Your poor father,” she said.

Scott’s smile was soft. “I desperately hope that the day comes when he’s returned to us so that you can see him as we did.”

“And I hope that for you, too, Scott,” she replied. “I always have. Whatever my awareness of your circumstances, I’ve constantly held the hope that Jeff returns to you all.”

He nodded, his smile sad. “Thank you,” he whispered.

She reached out and squeezed his hand. “Are you alright to continue or would you prefer we stop?”

He looked at her hand then up at her, shooting a look over her shoulder. “Join me outside?” he asked.

She turned and looked through the windows. The sky had grown dark and moonlight made every surface look silver. She turned back to him and nodded.

In one swift motion, he gracefully rose from his seat, turning to face her and offering her his hand. She reached out to take it, letting him help her up. “So, the stories about vampires being perfect gentlemen to their prey is true?” she asked, allowing him to lead her down to the garden.

He chuckled, the sound low in his throat. “You’re not my prey, Lady P,” he said. “And as for being a gentleman, Mom and Dad made a point of instilling in all of us proper manners and a sense of the right way to treat people. Although in my case, there is something in my nature that, uh, well, I can’t help it. The stories of vampiric charm aren’t exaggerated. It’s part of the persuasiveness.”

She smiled at him. “I see,” she said as they went towards the canopied swing seat next to the pool. They sat down together quietly, Scott using his feet to rock them back and forth gently. The silence remained comfortable as they watched the moonlight sparkling off the pool, before Penelope spoke again. “Might you tell me about your mother?” she asked quietly.

“You wanna know about her?” he asked softly, looking back from the pool.

“Well, only if you’re happy to talk about her.”

He looked back at the water. “She was a wonderful person,” he said, a small smile forming again. “Dad often referred to her as his angel.”

“He did? That’s incredibly sweet.”

Scott chuckled as he looked back. “There was a reason for that rather sentimental description. Mom was part bird. She had the most beautiful wings. Large, graceful and grey-white in colour and when she spread them they were several metres wide. When she flew, she had the poise of a classical dancer.”

Penelope smiled at him. “She meant a great deal to you, I can tell by the way you describe her.”

“She was my mom, of course she did.”

“Indeed,” she whispered. “So, that’s what she looked like. What was she like as a person?”

“She was loving, kind, gentle. As I said earlier, she had incredible instincts when it came to my brothers and me. She always knew exactly what we needed, and it extended to Dad, too.” He looked back out over the water again. “Her instincts…” He took a deep breath, letting it out shakily. “Her instincts are what saved me and Alan during that avalanche. Dad was still at the chalet with John, Virgil and Gordon because Gordon hadn’t woken up and the other two were still getting ready to come out. Alan was getting agitated to go out and ski so she and I took him out, letting the others get ready without Alan flapping around and getting in the way.” He was licked his lips slightly, his eyes shining with tears. “We were out on the slopes and Alan’s wing got snagged on a branch. I stopped to help him and Mom ended up several metres further down the slopes than we were by the time she’d stopped in response to my shout.”

Penelope had noticed the change in him, the smile long since gone to be replaced by a frown that darkened his entire expression. She shifted closer to him, putting her hand gently over his. He glanced up at her. She hadn’t expected him to talk of the day they lost Lucille Tracy.

“She knew the avalanche was coming before we were aware of the approaching danger. She flew straight back to us and tried to lift us both out of the way but when she realised she couldn’t, she used her wings to shield us from the snowbank as it roared towards us.”

“Oh, Scott…” she whispered.

“With the last of her energy, she was able to glamour herself again before the rescuers found us. It took a lot of coaxing for Alan to calm down and glamour himself.” He sighed and shook his head. “He was so scared and couldn’t understand why Mom wasn’t answering.”

Hesitantly, she moved her hand from his, putting it on his shoulder. When he leaned closer to her, she felt encouraged to pull him gently closer and put her arm round him. “Oh, Scott, I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

He rested his head against her, taking deep breaths as he tried to compose himself. “You’ve no need,” he murmured.

She rubbed his arm briefly. “Your mother was a remarkable woman, Scott,” she said quietly.

“She was indeed,” Scott replied, looking back up when he heard movement behind them. He stilled, becoming alert.

Having heard nothing, Penelope looked around, confused. “Scott? What is it?”

“Someone’s out here,” he whispered, peering through the near darkness before relaxing and smiling. “Come out, John.”

“How did you know it was me?” he asked, stepping out from behind the bushes.

“Probably the same way Virgil can tell us apart without seeing us. Both of us have a pretty good olfactory sense.”

“Are you implying I smell?” John said, folding his arms as he stopped next to them.

“Everyone smells when your nose is as good as ours are,” Scott retorted. “And some people smell better than others.”

Penelope smiled, glad to see Scott’s mood seemed to have improved at the appearance of his brother. “Have you come to join us?” she asked.

“I came to see how you guys are doing,” he responded, glancing at Scott.

He nodded at him. “We’re fine, John,” he answered.

“Sure? I was sensing tension.”

“Yeah, I was telling Penny here about, uh, about our parents. As hard as it is, telling her kinda felt good in the end.”

“I see,” John said, nodding. “You seem to have been acting as his counsellor.”

She smiled at him. “You know I’d do anything I could for you boys, whether as an agent for International Rescue, or as a friend for you all personally.”

Scott smiled gratefully. “It’s nice to be able to talk to someone outside our immediate family about all aspects of us, to be honest.”

“I can imagine,” Penelope replied. “I’m always here for you.” She looked between them, smiling fondly, before turning to John. “One of the other things he told me about was himself when he was born.”

“He probably remembers it,” John replied, grinning as he took a seat with them. “He’s got an excellent memory.”

“I do not remember when I was born,” Scott countered, playfully shoving his immediately younger brother. “But I do recall being told about it.”

“And what about you, John?” Penelope asked. “You told me you absorb technology, but why?”

John glanced at Scott. “I assume you told her about how Mom always knew what we needed and stuff?”

“I did,” Scott confirmed.

“Then I won’t go into that too much, but suffice it to say that at first, having not long had me, she didn’t realise what my biggest issue was.”

“Yes, Scott mentioned that her instincts needed time after your births,” Penelope offered.

“Indeed. So, being born blue-skinned and orange-haired was quite a mild trait for me to have, but she knew there was something else, but where I was only a matter of a couple of hours old when she got me home, she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. I think Dad said she worked out what it was and was on her way to check on me as I absorbed that crib toy.”

“I see,” Penelope said. “But why _did_ you absorb it?”

“Because I was born with a deficiency,” John explained.

“A deficiency?” she asked. “Like an iron deficiency or something?”

“Kind of,” he replied, tilting his head from side to side. “But not quite. See, our bodies don’t need the same vitamins and minerals that yours do. And for whatever reason, my body doesn’t produce all the things it needs, nor is it present in my diet.”

“So, unlike Scott, you eat?”

John laughed. “Out of all of us, Scott is the odd one out. We all eat, though some more than others.”

“Hmm,” Scott said, pursing his lips. “Yes, you should really eat more, especially when you’re up on Five.”

“I know. And Virgil should probably eat less every full moon so the others get some,” John said with a grin. “We balance ourselves out.”

Scott rolled his eyes as Penelope raised an eyebrow. “You still haven’t explained why you absorb technology, though,” she pressed.

“Well, technically I have. I absorb it because my body recognises within the tech the minerals I need. Often it’s silicon.”

“Silicon? But don’t we need that, too?”

“Only in trace amounts,” John said. “I need it far more and so because it’s used to make microchips, I tend to absorb technological things. Dad wasn’t impressed when I absorbed his smartphone when I was three years old.”

“You absorbed his phone?”

“I didn’t mean to,” John added quickly, but held his arm out, revealing a panel imbedded into his inner arm, just below his wrist. “And I was only three. But yeah, and it’s not just silicon. There’s a whole bunch of other minerals I need which my absorptions replenish. And as I got older, I learned to control what I absorb, as I told you. I’ve started to recognise when I need to absorb so I know to avoid things that will be missed. These days Brains has a massive stockpile of things I can rummage through if I need a boost.”

“That’s useful,” Penelope said.

John nodded. “I agree. Brains is good like that. I also quickly worked out as I gained control that with the tech I absorbed, I could choose which aspects of the devices I could incorporate into my, uh, my outer shell for want of a better way to describe it.”

“Outer shell?”

“Externally visible, basically,” Scott clarified. “Like the LEDs he absorbed when he was a kid. And that phone screen. Which he’s recently been able to augment so he can actually use it as a touch screen again.”

“Really?”

“That’s how I was monitoring for calls at your party,” he explained. “Originally my body took all it needed, which left very little in the device. I’ve been able to absorb components to get it working as part of me again.”

“Impressive,” she said, smiling as her eyes drifted over him.

“Just, please,” Scott interrupted. “Don’t ask him about the leftover tech he doesn’t need.”

“I wasn’t…”

“Penny, I can read people, remember? I know you were curious. Suffice it to say, we have all the same sorts of rooms in our house as you do.”

She looked at him blankly for a moment before her mouth opened slightly. “Oh…” she said slowly. “Moving on, then.”

“Yes, let’s,” John said, glaring at Scott as a blush crossed his cheeks, staining his skin indigo. “Thanks for that, Scott.”

Scott just folded his arms, lifting his feet off the floor and settling back against the cushions on the swing seat, grinning at him as he closed his eyes. “You’re welcome.”

“Hmm,” John mumbled, turning his gaze away from his older brother to regard the aristocrat as if expecting her to do something.

Penelope smiled at them both, then covered her mouth to yawn, which John noticed with a smile and she wondered if that’s what he’d been waiting for. “Would you like me to escort you back to your room?” he offered.

Scott opened his eyes again and sat up. “You alright, Penny?”

“I’m fine, I’m just tired,” she said. “It’s been a very long day.”

“Not all of us can go without sleep, Scott,” John pointed out. “And bear in mind, it’s a twelve-hour time difference between here and England.”

“Exactly, and it’s night time,” Scott reasoned. “So, it’s daytime back home for her.”

“Which is true, Scott,” she agreed. “Except I’ve been awake for a very long time between sorting out the affairs I needed to tend to before leaving, the journey to get here and settling in. I thought you said you could read people?”

“I can, but it helps to be looking at them at the time. But, I hadn’t thought of that,” he said, lowering his feet back to the floor. “I suppose we should head back in.”

John linked his arm through Penelope’s, guiding her back inside.

“See? It’s not just me that tries to be a gentleman,” Scott said as he followed them.

She smiled over her shoulder at him. “Will you tell me more about the others, as well?”

“In the morning,” John offered kindly. “Get some rest.”

She nodded as they approached the door to the room she was staying in. “Thank you, boys,” she said, tiptoeing up to gently kiss each of their cheeks. “Good night.”

 

Considering how tired she’d felt, Penelope woke relatively early the following morning. Through the gap in her curtains, she could see the sunlight already illuminating the world outside. With a smile, she climbed out of bed, going over to open them and stood there, admiring the wonderful view her bedroom window offered.

The sound of a knock drew her attention away. “Come in,” she called out.

She smiled as her door opened and Parker walked in, carrying a tray. “Good morning, M’Lady,” he said. “Did you sleep well?”

“I did, thank you, Parker,” she replied, returning to sit on the edge of her bed. “And you?”

“This h’island is a bit too warm for my tastes, but h’I ‘ad enough sleep, thank you, M’Lady.”

She laughed softly. “I see,” she said, turning her attention to the tray. “And you’ve brought me my favourites,” she added, smiling appreciatively at him. “Thank you, Parker. But how did you know I was awake?”

“Master John,” Parker clarified. “H’I woke up and went to get myself a morning coffee and Master John was already h’awake, M’Lady. ‘E mentioned ‘e could sense you were h’as well.”

“He sensed I was awake?” she asked, lowering the slice of jam covered toast she’d been about to take a bite of. “Interesting. I must ask him about that.”

“H’I’ll leave you to your breakfast, M’Lady,” Parker said, backing away to the door.

“Thank you, Parker,” Penelope replied. Then a thought occurred to her. “Oh, and Parker?”

“Yes, M’Lady?”

“We’re here for a short break. A holiday. That means I’d like you to relax and enjoy yourself. You’ve no need to serve me breakfast or anything else for the duration of our stay because I want you to take this time off.”

“Are you sure, M’Lady? H’it’s no trouble.”

“I know, Parker, but I’m sure. I want you to take some time off while we’re here.”

“Thank you, M’Lady,” he responded, smiling at her.

“And I’d like you to start by not returning for my tray,” she instructed. “I’ll take it back to the kitchen once I’m finished and dressed.”

“Yes, M’Lady,” he said once again.

She smiled back at him. “Alright then, Parker. Go and relax. Chat to the boys, I’m sure they have some interesting stories to share.”

“H’I’m sure they do,” he agreed. “Good morning, M’Lady.”

“Good morning, Parker,” she replied as he left the room.

 

Penelope finished her breakfast and dressed before taking the tray back down to the kitchen.

“Good morning, dear,” came a jovial voice from the other side of the room.

A smile crossed her face as Penelope saw Grandma Tracy walking towards her. “Here, let me take that from you,” the elder woman offered.

“Thank you,” Penelope replied, handing it to her. She watched her walking towards the counter, her head tilted slightly as Grandma turned back to her.

“Something wrong, Penelope?” she asked, leaning on the unit beside her.

The aristocrat bit her lip slightly, not wanting to offend the woman. “No, not at all,” she said quietly. She was surprised at how… normal Mrs Tracy looked.

Grandma smiled at her, returning to her side. “Scott informed me that you’re aware of more than just our International Rescue secret now,” she explained. “And yes, that secret does include me. I can tell by the way you’re looking at me you’re not certain. I didn’t want to overwhelm you because Scott also told me that they didn’t explain my traits to you.”

Penelope nodded, smiling a little in relief. “Well, yes, that pretty much covers it. Each of them described the basics of their traits to me at the party and last night Scott and John went into a little more depth about their own. Scott also described his parents somewhat.”

“I thought he was a little quieter than usual,” Grandma replied.

“Is he alright? I’d hate to think my curiosity has upset him.”

“He’s fine,” Grandma assured her. “Honestly. We had a little chat after everyone went to bed last night and he’s fine, I promise you.”

Penelope smiled in return. “I’m glad to hear that. I did worry for him. I hadn’t expected him to talk about that day.”

“Yes, I can imagine,” Grandma said. “So, I assume then that you’d like to know more about me.”

“If you’re willing to share, I’d love to, Mrs Tracy.”

“Penelope, dear, knowing this particular secret especially makes you part of the family more so than you were before. So, no more of this Mrs Tracy business please. You need to call me Sally. You could call me Grandma if you’d really like, but I’ll happily settle with my first name.”

“Alright then,” Penelope replied. “Sally.”

Sally smiled brightly at her. “Thank you. Now, what can I tell you about me? I could show you, if you like? I remained glamoured because as I mentioned, I didn’t want you to see me and not be prepared for what you would see.”

“I did wonder,” Penelope said gently. “Considering Scott explained that his parents and all his brothers are like, uh, like they are.”

“Yes, I am like them. Actually, I’m most like Alan.”

“Really?”

“Yes, we both have wings, although mine are stronger than his,” she stated. “Poor love, I remember when he was born; he was so tiny! We were all incredibly worried about him. But he’s a fighter and although his wings never really strengthened, he did. He was such a cute little baby though.” She smiled fondly at the memory of her youngest grandson as an infant. “He’d wrap his tiny wings round himself when he was tired, hugging a blanket I made while Lucy was pregnant with him. He was the only one who took to the blanket I made, the others weren’t so fussed. But anyway, he’d wrap himself up, snuggle with that blanket and suck on the tip of his wing, much the same as a lot of children suck their thumb.”

Penelope laughed. “Oh, what a cute image!” she said, finding it amusing how Sally had jumped from describing herself to describing Alan.

“I have photos of them all I can show you,” Sally offered.

“I’d love to if you’re able,” Penelope said, smiling.

Sally grinned. “They won’t be happy I’m showing you, but it’s a grandma’s prerogative to embarrass their grandsons.”

Penelope chuckled. “Well, if it’s your prerogative, I’d better have a look, hadn’t I?”

The elder woman smiled with a keen nod. “Oh, but I was talking about myself, wasn’t I? Those boys of mine are such an easy distraction.”

“They are,” Penelope agreed.

Sally chuckled. “Alright. I’ll just shed my glamour then. Oh, and just to forewarn you, my skin is different to all the boys.”

“In what way?” Penelope asked.

“You’ll see,” Sally replied, closing her eyes.

Penelope watched as her skin lightened in tone, so much so that it looked translucent. It took Penelope a few moments to realise it actually was – she was seeing through her skin to the webbing of veins, arteries and capillaries. It was another few moments before she looked beyond her face to notice the wings behind her. Currently, they were folded up, but she could see the elbow joints above Sally’s shoulders, sharp looking claws jutting from the curve.

Penelope stepped forward hesitantly. “May I?” she asked nervously, reaching out to her.

Sally nodded, smiling at her as she extended her wings, angling them over her head and closer to the younger woman. Just like Alan’s, they were purple in colour, but even with a cursory glance, it was obvious that these wings were much stronger than the young Tracy brother’s.

Lifting her hand up, Penelope touched the top of the claw nearest her. “Alan doesn’t have claws,” she commented, lowering her gaze back to look her in the eye.

“No, he was born before his claws could form,” she replied, tucking her wings back behind her.

“I see,” Penelope replied, dropping her hand to her side.

Sally smiled at her again. “I’m very glad the boys told you about us,” she said. “I know the circumstances surrounding you finding out were less than ideal, but I honestly think it’ll benefit everyone to have you in on the secret. Especially as you’re so accepting and understanding of something that should be so difficult to accept or understand.”

Penelope shrugged a little. “I’ve always known there was something special about this family,” she said kindly. “I just never fully realised how special.”

Sally nodded. “They are indeed,” she agreed.

They both looked up as John entered the room. “Good morning, Lady Penelope,” he said, smiling at her. He walked over to his grandmother, kissing her cheek gently. “Morning, Grandma.”

“Good morning, John,” she replied, her expression as she looked at him full of fondness.

He grinned at her. “I take it you’ve told her then?” he asked, noting how she was unglamoured.

“What gave it away?” she replied, her hands on her hips. “Stop trying to be smart, John.”

He just chuckled and went over to the fridge, taking out a carton of orange juice.

Penelope smiled at the pair of them before remembering something Parker had said earlier that morning. “Oh, John, might I ask you a question? Or two actually.”

He turned to face her, glass in one hand and the carton in the other. “Sure,” he agreed, pouring his drink. “By the way, you want one?”

“I’m fine, thank you,” she said. “Firstly, when you were born, how did no one notice you were blue?”

John smiled. “That’s an easy one. In our kind, we’re not born with the ability to disguise ourselves as we do.”

“The glamouring?”

John nodded. “Yeah, though that’s a term Mom once read in a book and she kind of adopted it as her own which we later picked up on. But yes. When we’re infants, we’re just as vulnerable and dependent as a human child. How could we be expected to glamour ourselves when we can’t even hold our heads up? So the mother has the ability to extend her own ability to her child until they learn to do it for themselves.”

Penelope smiled. “That makes sense,” she said.

“Yeah,” John replied. “And the other question?”

“It’s something Parker mentioned this morning and also a comment of Alan’s while he was explaining his accident at the party.”

John took a long drink from his glass before putting it down and smiling at her. “You want to know about my sensing ability.”

“Can all of you do that? Anticipate what I’m going to say?”

“Not really,” John replied. “With Scott’s he can very easily read people, but as he told you, he has to be looking at them. My ability is slightly different. Actually, Alan described it slightly incorrectly. He seems to think it’s the tech I’ve absorbed that allows me to sense feelings, but I don’t think it is. You see, I can sense how people are feeling when they’re near me, but my family I can always sense, no matter their proximity. I’ll never know for sure because I was so young when I started to absorb, but I’m pretty certain the tech has nothing to do with it.”

“So, you have a sort of heightened empathy?” Penelope asked.

“Something like that,” John agreed. “And it probably stems from Mom’s heightened instincts. I inherited a similar, but not-quite-the-same sense.”

“I see,” Penelope said. “And that’s how you knew Alan was in trouble when he had his accident? Because you could sense it?”

John sighed slightly, lowering his gaze. “I actually sensed him die. Just like I did when Mom died.” He glanced up at her, feeling her sadness and anxiety at not knowing what to do or say. “It’s alright, Penelope,” he said kindly, taking her hand. “In some ways, as much as it was traumatic at the time, it was kind of good that I sensed Mom, and also Scott and Alan’s distress. No one at the holiday camp knew what had happened and we were in one of the private chalets so I told Dad who got the rescuers mobilised. It meant Scott and Alan weren’t out there on their own for too long.”

She looked at his hand then up into his eyes, seeing the grief but also noting the small smile at the corners of his lips. She jumped slightly, having forgotten Sally was still in the room until the woman put a hand gently on her shoulder. “I know these things are hard for you to hear, dear, and they’re also very hard for the boys to say. But I think the fact that they feel comfortable enough talking about it with you is a compliment to you. They wouldn’t have told you any of this if they didn’t trust you and feel safe imparting this information. And the fact that they’re going so far as telling you about Lucy is good for them. They’ve all kept it bottled up inside for so long. They need a release.”

Penelope looked from Sally to John. “I understand,” she said gently. “I really do.”

John smiled at her. “I think what I tend to remember is that, although I couldn’t save Mom, through my actions, I saved Scott and Alan.”

“And I’m certain that’s how she’d want you to think, too,” Penelope whispered.

The sound of footsteps jogging down the stairs drew their attention and they turned to see Virgil approaching, his booted feet causing his steps to echo loudly. “Morning!” he called out, heading straight to the pantry.

“Morning, Virgil,” Sally replied. “If you’re alright, John, I’m gonna go do some laundry.”

“I’m fine,” he said quietly, smiling at her as she left, before smirking slightly at Penelope. “Good morning, Virgil,” he responded, looking at him. “No one else has had breakfast yet, make sure you save some for the others!”

Virgil turned around, holding the bread bag. “Honestly, John. I was only gonna have four slices of toast. There’s loads here,” he countered, lifting the bag for emphasis.

“Actually, I’ve already had breakfast,” Penelope offered. “So don’t worry about me.”

Virgil smiled at her. “Glad to hear it. Most important meal of the day, they say,” he said.

Penelope couldn’t help but smile back as she watched him prepare his food; his good mood was almost infectious.

Virgil looked back at her and smiled again. “You doing okay this morning?”

She nodded. “Yes, thank you,” she replied. “I suppose you’ll tell me a facet of your nature is that you can affect the moods of people?”

“Who me?” Virgil asked. “Nah, I’m just more of a morning person than the others so I tend to be happier than them first thing. Don’t you find happiness to be contagious?”

Penelope laughed. “I do,” she agreed.

John returned to the counter where he picked up his juice. “Would you make me some toast as well please?” he asked.

“You not want to use the toaster yourself?” Virgil asked, grinning.

John raised an eyebrow. “I think by the way you’re smiling, you know full well I haven’t yet been to my supply so no, I don’t want to use the toaster.”

“I thought you said you could control what you absorb?” Penelope asked.

“I can, but sometimes if I haven’t absorbed in a while, I’ve been known to slip up.”

“Oh dear,” she said, smiling softly.

“Mmm, and that’s why I asked Virgil if he’d mind making me some toast too. That way I can go and, uh, take a tablet so to speak,” he replied, smiling shyly.

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Someone new to hear your terrible puns, huh?”

John shrugged slightly. “I’ll be back soon,” he said, then left the room.

Penelope watched him go then turned back to Virgil. “So, away from full moon, do you normally have so much bread for breakfast?”

“Not normally, though I’ll admit I do eat more than any of the others in general. My plate is bigger than theirs are and I also get the share we still make for Scott, despite the fact he never eats. But the full moon was only a couple of nights ago, so yes, right now I’m eating more than usual and I’m not particularly fussy either. I’ll eat anything. I’ll admit I find it difficult to restrain myself around this time. As they told you, I always eat a lot more during the full moon phase but then, most nights I’ll also change and go for a long run in my wolf form. I can’t forgo sleep altogether like Scott, but I need a lot less sleep than the others, so I tend to spend a lot of time out running. But with the food situation, at one point it got so bad that they stopped sending me on the grocery run if it coincided with full moon because the last time I went, the grocery bill doubled and they weren’t happy.”

“Sounds like it’s fun around full moon,” she said.

“Yes and no,” he replied. “Being in wolf form is though. And I can do that whenever I want.”

She watched him briefly, smiling, as he tended to the toaster before she spoke again. “Would… would you show me your wolf form?”

He looked up from buttering a slice. “Course I will,” he said. “But can I have my breakfast first?”

Penelope chuckled. “I should have foreseen that, but yes, of course.”

He grinned at her, taking a bite from the first slice as he buttered the next and before long he’d finished preparing and eating his own breakfast and had John’s ready for when he returned.

Penelope smiled at him as he walked over to the table and sat down with her. “So, I suppose you want to know stuff about me?”

“Only if you’re happy to share,” she replied.

He smiled back. “I am,” he replied, standing back up from his chair and stepping back. “But first, you wanted to see me as I am.”

She watched as thick black fur started to appear all over his body, sprouting from his skin. His nose elongated, as did his teeth, lengthening into a muzzle and canine fangs. He lowered onto all fours, his hands becoming paws as he dropped down while a tail formed, wagging behind him.

In less than half a minute, a fully-grown wolf stood in front of her, his eyes bright yellow and his tail still wagging. Despite the fact that he was most obviously a wolf, his stance was more like a dog wanting to play.

Penelope smiled at him, reaching out a hand. She gently placed it between his ears, her fingers tangling through his fur and she stroked him. His tail wagged faster and his eyes drooped closed slightly, his expression looking happy.

“Virgil, do you enjoy having your ears scratched?” she asked him, laughing. Her hand moved to under his chin and he sat down, tilting his head up so she could reach better which made her laugh more. “Oh, Virgil.”

With another wag of his tail, Virgil stood up, beginning to return to his human form. He grinned at her as he straightened to his full height once the change had completed. “This close to the full moon, when I change I’m still rather wolfish. And I do rather like it when people scratch my ears and chin. It’s quite relaxing.”

Penelope smiled at him and patted his hand. “I used to equate you to a big soft bear, but you’re just a puppy really.”

“Actually, when I was born I was pretty much like a puppy apparently. Or at least a wolf cub. I’m told I was a very furry baby, almost humanoid as it were, but my ears were wolf like and I had a tail. It was a week or so before I first shifted into my fully wolf form. Poor Mom was so confused when she went to my crib and found a cub and not her baby boy.”

Penelope laughed. “I really do feel sorry for your poor mother, what she must have gone through with you boys.”

Virgil smiled. “She was like us, so I guess in some way she may have been used to it.”

“I suppose,” Penelope conceded. “What were you like when you were younger? Do you mind telling me?”

He shrugged amiably. “I don’t mind. Let’s think. Um… Well, like I say, I was more like a werewolf as a baby because of being a humanoid covered in fur. I was also very wolf like in my behaviour. Does Sherbet ever do that thing when he’s asleep like he’s running?” He grinned when she nodded. “Yeah, I used to do that all the time when I slept. Sometimes I still do I’m told.”

“You chase rabbits in your sleep?” Penelope questioned, incredulously, laughing again.

“Well, probably not rabbits, but that motion, yes. Mom and Dad would both watch me because they found it so amusing. Scott and John liked it too. I used to make them laugh when I was in a particularly wolfy phase. They liked playing fetch with me when I was mobile enough. I’d spend a lot of time in my more cub form because playtime with my brothers was more fun. Though sometimes I’d let myself go a little too much and start chasing my tail.”

“Chasing your tail? That’s an understatement, Virge!”

The pair turned to see Gordon walking into the room, grinning at them both. “He’d go running around in circles so fast he’d topple over!”

“Hey, Gordon,” Virgil said, smiling. “Yeah, I’ll admit that one. I’d end up rolling end over end sometimes.”

“So, you still played as a wolf with your younger brothers?” Penelope asked.

“Of course, it was way more fun!” Virgil replied, that bright smile still never leaving his face. “When I was bigger, I’d have Alan or Gordon riding on my back when I was in wolf form.”

“You did?”

“Oh yeah, they’d hang onto my fur and I’d run really fast.”

Gordon laughed. “Dad never really liked that game, especially with Alan,” he said. “He was always so worried we’d fall off, and Alan being prem and all, he was a really small kid. I think he was worried we’d get hurt. But we never did, did we, Virge?”

Virgil shook his head. “Nope. I always knew exactly how to move to keep them securely on my back. It was almost an unconscious effort. It’s like my muscles just knew what to do and would make tiny adjustments to keep them safe.”

“It was so much fun,” Gordon said, grinning. “Especially round the full moon. He’s always far more fun at that time.”

“I have a few traits that start to creep in as the moon waxes and linger as it begins to wane again,” Virgil explained.

“Yeah, like scratching behind his ears like a dog would,” Gordon said, smirking.

Penelope looked from him to Virgil to see him doing just that, his hand flicking as a canine’s paw would. He tilted his head, glancing between them before seeming to realise what he was doing and smiling bashfully. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

“It’s quite alright,” Penelope replied.

“It’s just his fleas,” Gordon quipped.

“Hey, I do not have fleas, Gordon, I have never had fleas!” Virgil retorted, folding his arms across his chest.

Gordon grinned at him, sticking his tongue out at him and Penelope gasped, surprised to see it was long and thin like a frog.

“Gordon!” Virgil hissed, swatting at his arm. “You could have warned Penelope before you did that.”

“Sorry,” he mumbled sheepishly.

“But I thought you were like a fish?” she asked.

“Mostly, but I’m also amphibious, don’t forget,” Gordon clarified. “So, I’ve got aspects that are like a fish, and aspects that are like frogs.” He held up a hand, stretching his fingers wide to expose the webbing. “This could be either of those attributes. Frogs have webbed feet but also fish have webbing between the bones in their fins so it could be either.”

“I see,” she replied.

Gordon smiled. “What you’ve got to remember is that we’re not easy to classify. You could call Scott a vampire, but that term doesn’t fully cover him. Virgil isn’t really a werewolf.”

“I suppose so,” she said.

“So, Virgil’s been telling you about when he was a pup, huh?” Gordon asked.

“That’s one way of putting it,” Penelope replied. “But yes, he has. So has Scott and John and to an extent, your grandmother.”

“Does that make it my turn?” he suggested.

“If you’d like to,” she said.

“He likes talking about himself,” Virgil quipped, noticing the plate of toast that John never returned to.

“Dude, you’re not gonna eat that cold, are you?” Gordon asked, spotting him.

“Saves wasting it,” Virgil replied, going over to it and picking it up.

“Virgil, Scott was right, you are gross.”

Virgil shrugged, taking the plate to the table and sitting down.

Gordon rolled his eyes and looked back at Penelope. “Well, let me see. So, you know how Dad’s reptilian?”

Penelope nodded. “Yes, Scott explained his traits to me.”

“Good, saves time. Well, when I was born, they thought I’d be like him. I was green and scaly, just like him. Well, not just like him. My scales were more iridescent than his, but they just put it down to my being a baby. Not as developed as him. But then I had my first bath.” He grinned. “I’ve always been a literal water baby. During my first bath, I slipped from my mom’s hands. I mean, she didn’t drop me or anything, but when my scales got wet, I became pretty slippery and I wanted to be in the water apparently. I think I panicked Dad when I went straight under before Mom could do anything, but she told Dad I was safe because I think she knew that my gills would emerge.”

“Yes, the others have mentioned your mother’s instincts,” Penelope pointed out.

“Yeah, she was pretty clever like that. But yeah, so that’s how they realised that I was less like Dad than they thought. Not a reptile, but a fish. As I grew, the webbing between my fingers and toes developed. But I’ve always had a long tongue. And I quickly learned I could use it to get things. When we were kids and Mom used to put the good cookies on the top shelf, Scott would open the doors because he was tall enough to reach and I’d use my tongue to get the packets down.”

“You boys all terrorised your poor parents, didn’t you?” she asked, looking between him and Virgil.

Gordon shrugged, his smile coy. “Well, to be fair, Dad often got his own back on us.”

“Oh? In what way?”

“You guys haven’t told her?” Gordon asked, looking back at Virgil who’d finished the toast and was gathering up the crumbs with his fingertip.

“I haven’t, I assumed Scott or John did.”

“Told me what?”

Gordon laughed. “She doesn’t know! Ha, I get to tell her something cool about Dad.”

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Gordon, chill out. It’s not that exciting.”

“To us, maybe, but I bet she’ll find it interesting.”

“Gentlemen, I am right here, you know?” Penelope said, looking between them both with her eyebrow raised. “Would someone please enlighten me?”

“Dad’s reptilian, right?” Gordon said once again. “What are some reptiles best known for?”

Penelope shook her head. “I don’t know,” she replied. “Scales? Being spiny?”

“An ability to camouflage themselves,” Gordon interrupted. “Like chameleons.”

Penelope’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open slightly. “You mean your father could change colour?”

“Well, it’s more than that,” Gordon stated. “It’s the ability to blend in with his surroundings perfectly. If he was stood in front of a fence and a tree, that’s what he’d look like. It’s almost like invisibility, except if he moved, there’d be a very slight ripple. But suffice it to say he caught us in the act of misbehaving a few times.”

Penelope chuckled, an image of Jeff appearing from nowhere entering her mind. “Good for him,” she said. “By the sounds of it, he needed that ability to keep up with you all.”

“Well, he could sneak up on most of us,” Virgil added, grinning.

“What do you mean?” Penelope asked.

He tapped the side of his nose. “I have a wolf’s nose, remember?”

“Ah, yes. Scott mentioned that you and he share the ability to be able to detect smells better than others.”

“Mmm hmm,” Virgil confirmed. “So, yeah. I’d know if he was coming. And to be honest, most of the time when he needed to sneak covertly, it was because Alan and Gordon were up to no good.”

“Hey!” Gordon objected.

“Oh, don’t deny it. You know it’s true.”

“Meh, I suppose you’re right.”

Penelope laughed again then turned, hearing footsteps on the stairs.

“Morning, Scott!” Virgil called out cheerfully.

“Hey, Virgil,” he replied, entering the room.

Penelope watched him, noticing how he skirted around in the shadows as sunlight flooded the room.

“Did you need something, bro?” Gordon asked.

“I heard voices down here so thought I’d come and be sociable,” he replied, sitting down in the corner.

“Hard to be sociable when you’re on the other side of the room, Scott,” Gordon teased.

“I can hear you just fine,” he stated.

“We know, but why don’t we join you over there?”

Scott smiled at him. “That would make life easier,” he said as they walked over.

Penelope sat down beside him. “Good morning, Scott,” she said.

“Hello, Penelope. Did you sleep alright?”

“I did, thank you, but I’m curious. What do you do all night if you don’t sleep?”

“Well, I write the reports for both IR and for the business, do maintenance on Thunderbird One, I go for walks, all sorts really.”

“Don’t you get lonely?”

Scott chuckled. “No, not really. I’m sure Virgil’s told you he sleeps less than the others so he often keeps me company. And John’s sleep pattern is incredibly weird being up on Five most of the time. He tends to keep a pattern a lot of astronauts have been known to keep, he tells me.”

“So you have company?”

“I do. Don’t worry about me.” He glanced at the sunlight on the opposite side of the room. “My nocturnal habits are a lot less concerning than my diurnal ones.”

She followed his gaze then looked back. “Do we need to move at all?”

“No, I should be alright here. The sunlight doesn’t tend to penetrate this far into the room.”

“Alright,” she said. “As long as you’re sure.”

Scott chuckled. “I’m sure. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine sat here and I can get out of the room without stepping into the light as well.”

“How bad is it?” Penelope asked gently.

“Is what?”

“How badly are you affected? You said when you were born you were burned pretty badly, but you haven’t really said how much it affects you now, short of not being able to be exposed to it.”

Scott sighed a little, glancing at Virgil, before looking back at her. “The worst I’ve ever had was third degree. Out on a rescue. I hadn’t been wearing my helmet because it was so overcast and looked like it wouldn’t let up. The situation didn’t call for me to need my helmet so I went without. A strong wind suddenly swept through and a break in the clouds I hadn’t anticipated or even seen let sun through. I’d been so focused on my task I hadn’t realised the clouds were beginning to disperse until I felt the sun on my skin. I didn’t have my helmet with me either. Luckily when we’re glamoured it hides everything so the person I was rescuing was none the wiser, but it was so painful. I got the man to safety then pretty much collapsed from the exertion of trying to maintain my glamour while I was being burned.”

“I was on site too,” Virgil added. “With Gordon. So, while Gordon tended to the man we’d been there for, I went out after Scott. We had to get John to remotely fly One back home because he was in no state to do much. We dropped the rescued man off and took Scott straight home. He was bedbound for two days while he healed.”

“How long were you exposed for?” Penelope asked softly.

“Maybe ten minutes?”

“You got third degree burns after only ten minutes in the sun?”

He nodded. “And relatively low UV as well. But I did heal, I haven’t scarred,” he added, smiling at her.

“Yeah, not like me, right, Scott?”

Penelope looked up to see Kayo approaching. She’d been so engrossed in his story, she hadn’t heard the woman descend the stairs, nor enter the room.

“Honestly, Kayo, that was an accident, I didn’t mean to!” Scott said sheepishly.

“Yeah, I know,” she replied. “I just like to tease you about it every now and then.”

Penelope looked between them confused.

Gordon grinned at her expression. “Scott, haven’t you told her how you learned you were venomous?”

He folded his arms, sitting back further in his chair.

“I’ll take that as a ‘no’,” Gordon said.

“So, how did he learn he was venomous? And what does it have to do with Kayo?” Penelope asked.

Kayo lifted her arm, showing her the back of her hand. There were scars across her knuckles, a crescent shaped row with two defined circular-shaped ridges at either end.

Penelope frowned. “That looks like… like a bite.” She turned to face the elder brother. “Scott, you bit her?”

“Like I said, I didn’t mean to,” he grumbled.

“How can you not mean to bite someone?”

Kayo chuckled as she sat down on a vacant seat. “In his defence, it was kind of my own fault. We were sparring together, training. He lets me really go for it with him because it’s harder to injure him so I can really push myself without the fear of hurting him. Thing is, I caught him off guard. I pulled a feint which he fell for then I hit him in the jaw. Right in the mouth.”

“Ouch,” Penelope said, wincing at the thought.

“Didn’t hurt him at all! I mean, he seemed to react in movement by staggering back, but I don’t think it hurt him.”

“It didn’t,” Scott confirmed. “Though it was such a swing it did kinda make my ears ring a little.”

“So, you didn’t actually bite her? She punched you in the teeth?” Penelope asked.

He nodded. “Yeah. Drew blood and everything.”

“And how did you react to that?”

“If you mean the sight of her blood, I was fine,” Scott said. “I’m not like movie vampires that become unable to control themselves as soon as they see it. I wouldn’t do well out on rescues with injured victims if I reacted that way every time I saw someone bleeding. But if you mean, how did I react to realising I’d hurt her? I felt awful. Especially later that day.”

“Later?”

“Yeah,” Kayo continued. “We cleaned it up and dressed the wound, but then an hour or so later, I started to feel unwell. Feverish, dizzy. I was still with Scott at the time, reviewing security on the ‘Birds when I started to feel light headed. Once he’d helped me back to my room, he realised just how sick I was. And how quickly it had come on. He seemed to realise what had happened. He removed the dressing from my hand and the bite was infected and apparently turning a bit green.”

“We treated her with antibiotics we have in our medical supplies,” Virgil added. “It wasn’t too serious, just it had a very quick onset and the fact that the bite was so obviously infected, it was clear what had happened.”

“He refused to spar with me after that,” Kayo added. “It took me weeks to convince him he wouldn’t hurt me again. Probably my own fault for not wearing the proper sparring gear. I had no gloves on.”

“I felt for a long time it was _my_ fault, not hers. I should have realised I was venomous. When I was little, too young to fully understand, I was a bit of a biter, as some children are. I once bit John and it made him cry so much, but it also healed a cut he’d sustained falling over because he was still learning to walk at the time. When we realised that my bites could pass on my healing abilities briefly, I’d use them to help the guys when they got really badly hurt. Alan was the first time I ever used as much venom as I did. Which is why I think he took on a few of my physical traits. But it never occurred to me until the incident with Kayo, what my venom would do to someone not of our kind.”

“Well, now you know,” Kayo said. “And it was only a short illness that had no lasting effects.”

Scott smiled at her then looked back at Penelope. “Suffice it to say, I promise I won’t bite you.”

She smiled in return. “I know, Scott,” she said kindly. “You’ve already assured me of that.”

 

Later that day, Penelope had decided to go to the garden. She loved the fact that, despite it being November now, it was lovely and warm outside. It was one of her favourite things about the island, the southern hemisphere weather.

She sat back on the swing seat, lifting her feet from the floor and tucking them under her. She was just settling down fully when she heard the sound of running feet coming in her direction.

Before she could fully register who was approaching, the surface of the pool erupted as someone leapt in.

“Hey, Lady P!”

She looked round and spotted Alan at the edge of the pool, sitting down and lowering his feet in.

“Hello, Alan,” she replied, getting up and approaching. “I take it that was Gordon causing the tidal wave.”

“How’d you guess?”

“Hmm, well, that’s the safe bet when there’s someone in the pool,” Penelope answered, smiling at him.

“Fair point and got it in one,” Alan said, grinning back.

“Are you not going in with him?”

“I don’t really go swimming,” he replied. “For one thing my wings get in the way. And also, not really sure how my, uh, my reconstruction would fare.”

She watched him, noting how he dropped his gaze to look at his hands in his lap, his fingers tangling together and the wings behind him shifting slightly. She reached out and put her hand over his, drawing his attention. “It’s alright,” she said quietly.

“Is it?”

“You may have limitations, but Scott said you still go out on rescues, is that right?”

He nodded. “Yeah, Brains designed my suit to not only protect me in space, but also to help support and strengthen my damaged body.”

“Then that’s quite an achievement, Alan,” she said. “Some people might let a situation like yours hold them back, but you go out to help people, despite what’s happened to you.”

A small smile crept onto his lips. “I guess so,” he replied.

She nudged her arm against his, smiling back. “So, the others have all told me about them, is there anything you can share about you?”

“Like what?”

“Well, I don’t know,” Penelope admitted. “How premature were you?”

“Two months,” Alan responded. “And Dad reckoned that’s why I’m still not particularly tall considering how tall he is. And Mom wasn’t exactly short, either.”

“You’ll have a sudden growth spurt and tower over them all,” Penelope offered, smiling again.

He grinned. “That’d be cool,” he said.

She glanced over his shoulder, noticing that his wings were now spread slightly wider. “How much control do you have over your wings?” she asked.

He looked behind him as they spread to their full span. “I do control them, but I suppose it’s like Virgil and his tail. My wings also kinda react to my feelings. If I’m worried or tired or when I’m injured, they wrap round me, kinda like when I was a kid, though I don’t suck my tip anymore. It’s a comfort thing, it’s almost like I feel more protected when they’re wrapped round me. When I’m nervous or anxious or agitated or something, they tend to flap about behind me, but just a little bit, not like big flaps. Flutter I guess is the best word, though that makes me think of butterflies and I’m definitely not one of those.”

Penelope chuckled. “No, you’re not,” she agreed. “And I’ve seen what happens when you get excited.”

“Yeah, or surprised. They just spread wide without me even realising sometimes. I’ve been known to hit people in the face because someone’s made me jump and bam! They just spring wide and wallop whoever’s nearby.”

“What about your grandmother? Do her wings react to her mood?”

“Not so much, she has way more control than I do,” Alan admitted. “And hers are a whole lot stronger ‘cause she can fly with hers. And d’you know if she beats them hard enough, she can create a wind so strong you can’t approach her? You should get her to show you, it’s awesome. It’s pretty much hurricane force or there abouts. Scott and Virgil are the only ones who can get near her when she does it ‘cause something in their nature makes them real strong.”

“That’s something I’m not sure I’d like to see, it sounds terrifying,” Penelope stated.

“Nah, it’s really cool,” Alan assured, fiddling with the stitches on one of his fingers.

“Might I… might I ask about the incident?” she asked, hesitantly.

He looked back up at her, seeming to realise he was fiddling. “You can,” he said. “It was about two years ago. Gordon and I decided we wanted to go climbing, even though Scott was against the idea. But we went anyway because we wanted to go. I don’t quite remember it fully, but I do remember we were quite high up on an outcropping. We’d climbed up to it and over so we could sit down. It kinda juts out like a ledge so we had our legs hanging over the side. But as I stood up, there was a sudden gust and I lost my balance. Gordon tried to grab me, but I just went. It was the scariest thing, the sensation of falling but we were so far up by that point, I think I blacked out before I hit the floor.”

Penelope covered her mouth, her eyes wide. “Oh Alan,” she said softly. He was still so young and to know that this had happened when he was even younger was such an awful thought. She heard the sound of water splashing and looked round, noticing that Gordon was nearby in the pool, treading water.

“He doesn’t remember anything after he fell to when he woke up,” Gordon pointed out. “I heard what you were saying.”

Alan nodded as his immediately older brother climbed back out of the pool and sat down on the other side of Penelope.

“Want me to continue for you?” Another nod, which was returned by Gordon. “Alright. So, by the time I’d reached the base of the peak, Alan was a mess. Something in his nature meant that when he landed he seemed to shatter like a china doll which was something none of us had anticipated. And he was… well, he was dead. I was certain of it. His eyes were wide and staring, it was horrible.”

Penelope looked between them, seeing how uneasy they looked. “You don’t have to continue if you don’t feel up to it.”

Gordon looked at Alan. “It’s up to you, little brother. I’ll continue if you want me to.”

“I do want you to. It’s only fair Penelope knows about us.”

“As long as you’re both sure,” she insisted.

Gordon smiled at her. “Don’t worry, this is the part where it improves. Sorta. See, it was at this point that John came running out, swiftly followed by Scott. Turns out he’d sensed something from Alan which he knew he needed to help with.”

“Yes, John explained to me about that. And Scott explained to me about how his venom brought you back.”

“It did,” Alan said, smiling slightly. “Saved by my big brothers, and by John twice now.”

Penelope smiled back at him. “It’s nice to see that look of pride in your eyes when you say that.”

“‘Course I’m proud of them, they’re amazing!” Alan said. “So, the next thing I remember is waking up with Scott and John leaning over me. John had adapted some of his tech to help me breathe and Scott told me he’d used his venom to help heal me like he used to when we got badly hurt as kids, though he did say he’s never had to use so much of his venom before. Apparently, that’s why I’m paler now. And my eyes are almost lilac at times. Sometimes more his red, sometimes more my blue and sometimes it’s a combination of both. But once his venom brought me back, they were able to stitch me back together.” He held out his arms, both of which had stitches round them, one between elbow and shoulder, the other nearer his wrist. “I have stitches holding my arms together, one of my legs and several of my fingers, but they also used some medical staples too. See, some of my injuries were full dismemberment or whatever the word is, which required stitches, and some were just big lacerations which they just stapled together, like on the back of my neck and several across my chest. Though I do have one scar that’s different.” He pulled at his collar, revealing the back of his shoulder where there was a ridged bite mark. “That’ll never go away. And for some reason, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to be rid of the stitches and staples, but hey. For the most part I’m in one piece… so to speak. Though if stuff like the tree incident at your party happens, I can go to pieces. I just have to get Virgil to help put me back together again and all’s good.”

Penelope smiled at him. “I think you’re all pretty remarkable, you know,” she said. “You’ve had so much happen to you and yet you don’t let it get you down too much.”

“Oh, it gets us down, alright,” Gordon retorted. “But we work through it, together. Because that’s what families do.”

“Quite right,” she replied, putting an arm around each of their shoulders. “And now, I don’t know about you, but I think it might be lunch time. Shall we go and see if Virgil has left us anything?”

“She learns fast, this one,” Gordon said, grinning. “Race you there!”

**Author's Note:**

> This was going to be a one shot but I've had a lot of people asking about this one and I've been getting hit with inspiration so a second chapter is now in the works with room for more hopefully.


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